Don Tollefson given state prison sentence, 15 years probation for scamming more than 200 people

A deeply troubled "shell" of a man, consumed by depression and self-loathing, Don Tollefson downed three Big Gulp drinks strongly laced with vodka before noon each day, liquid courage he needed to face the world.

The former television sportscaster has battled mental illness since childhood, psychologist Steven Samuel also told a Bucks County judge Wednesday, and is haunted by memories of the daily enemas he endured at the hands of his mother, who forced him to share her bed until he was 16.

"I think Don Tollefson has never had a chance to have a normal life," Samuel, a defense expert, told the judge. "He doesn't know who he is. He's empty inside."

Samuel's words were not enough to sway Judge Rea Boylan. She sentenced Tollefson to two to four years in state prison for scamming more than 200 people who donated money to his charities. Tollefson must also serve 15 years of probation.

Boylan said Tollefson not only hurt the people who bought nonexistent sports travel packages from him, but he also did irreparable damage to local charities' reputations.

"The irony is, this was someone who has helped charities for many years, and now he has done great harm," she said

Prosecutor Matt Weintraub says he'll ask for state prison for Don Tollefson Wednesday at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown.

Prosecutor Matt Weintraub says he'll ask for state prison for Don Tollefson Wednesday at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown.

Tollefson, 62, of Philadelphia did not react to the sentence. Earlier in the four-hour hearing, he apologized to the victims and said he was "humiliated" by his crimes.

"What I did to these people was terrible. They have every right to be as angry as they are," he said. "I feel a tremendous remorse."

A jury in January convicted Tollefson of felony theft and related charges. Prosecutors were seeking $342,000 in restitution, but Boylan slashed the amount to $164,500 on Wednesday, ruling that one of the entities seeking payback from Tollefson, a ticket agency, did not fit the criteria to be considered a victim.

The judge ruled that Tollefson will serve the sentence in a state correctional facility that has a mental health treatment program.

Dan Meehan, executive director of the Brad Fox 5K Foundation, the charity that blew the whistle on Tollefson's scam in 2013, said the Fox family is disappointed Tollefson didn't get more time.

"I think it was a great gamble on Don Tollefson's part," Meehan said. "He made the court look ridiculous. … Hopefully this is the first step in rehabilitation for him."

Fox, a Plymouth, Montgomery County, police officer, was shot to death on Sept. 13, 2012, while chasing a suspect along the Schuylkill River. The money collected at the 5K run was to benefit his children.

Through the Fox foundation, Tollefson sold $500 packages that were supposed to include airfare to Colorado for an Eagles-Denver Broncos game, plus tickets and a hotel. Half the money would go to the Fox foundation, Tollefson told race participants, and the other half would go to one of several charities he ran.

After police began investigating the Fox foundation's claims, other victims came forward.

Tollefson initially pleaded guilty to the charges in September, but withdrew his plea on the eve of sentencing after "much reflection and prayer."

Once the highest paid sportscaster in Philadelphia, Tollefson testified that he lost his job and began abusing prescription painkillers after a 2008 car accident. He told jurors that he's battled alcoholism for more than 40 years, but has stayed sober since his arrest.

Tollefson turned down a plea deal that would have included seven months behind bars and about 14 months of addiction treatment and probation.

He then represented himself at an 11-day trial, where he was found guilty on all counts.

Tollefson admitted during the trial that he "borrowed" money from the charity accounts, but claimed he never intended to defraud anyone. He repeatedly told the jurors that he was a bad businessman, and that he lost focus because he was fighting addiction.

But he was unable to explain bank records that showed he used money from charity accounts to pay for personal expenses, including dog grooming, lawn care and credit card bills.

Many of Tollefson's victims lived in the Lehigh Valley, and he held numerous fundraisers at the Tally Ho Tavern in Bethlehem.

Several victims testified Wednesday, saying they did not think Tollefson was sorry. Cindy Moffitt, a volunteer with the Brad Fox Foundation, described the embarrassment she felt after persuading friends and family members to buy trips from Tollefson, then learning they'd been scammed.

"He sees himself as superior and entitled," Moffitt said. "The fact that he intentionally used his celebrity status to prey upon the family of a local hero with express intent to steal is downright despicable."

Tollefson's attorney, Robert Goldman, said he and Tollefson felt the sentence was fair.

Before handing down the sentence, Boylan remarked that Tollefson showed little emotion during the trial, breaking down in tears only once when a young man who had benefited from one of Tollefson's charity drives described him as "the greatest."

Matt Weintraub, Bucks County's chief of prosecution, said he also noted Tollefson's lack of passion at the sentencing hearing.

"He's a master manipulator. Perhaps today the well just ran dry," he said.

Boylan ruled Wednesday that Tollefson is eligible for the state's Recidivism Risk Reduction Incentive program. That means that with good behavior, and counting the time Tollefson has already spent behind bars awaiting trial, he could be out of prison in as little as 14 months.

Weintraub said he will lobby for Tollefson to serve the full sentence.

"Some of these victims will be writing letters to the parole board, so it's not a done deal," he said.